Cellphone Radiation May Alter Your Brain. Let’s Talk. - NYTimes.com

Cellphone Radiation May Alter Your Brain. Let’s Talk. - NYTimes.com

Oregon Launches Open Data Web Site -- InformationWeek

Oregon Launches Open Data Web Site -- InformationWeek

According to this article in InformationWeek, the Oregon site is better than the federal one because it allows viewers to leave comments directly on the dataset pages. I haven't had time to play with it, but I look forward to browsing the data.

Unshelved by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes

Unshelved by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes

Here's a hilarious strip about Roald Dahl's character, Mathilda, if she lived in today's world of mind-numbing distraction and ebooks.

National Day of Unplugging

Sorry, but I hadn't even heard of this. It's tough enough to keep all the balls in the air without disconnecting. I try to disconnect on Sundays, since that's the day of the week when customers, clients, etc., are less likely to expect an immediate response. For me, a day without email or anything technological is a cross between complete irresponsibility and total pleasure. As for disconnecting on a Saturday, that would harm my business. On Sundays, I keep my cell on and in my pocket in case someone in my family needs me.

I think having a disconnect day for people whose business and personal lives does not require that they be immediately accessible to dying relatives, critical business decisions, IT maintenance, etc. is a great idea. However, I think there is a line between self-indulgence and self-preservation. A National Disconnect Day is a great idea for most people, but it's not a good idea for anyone whose responsibilities disregard regular working out.

I tried posting this on geek.com, but I couldn't' figure out the ambiguous capcha word, so I am posting on my own blog.

Going Out of Print

Going Out of Print

According to this article in District Administrator, school libraries will soon be primarily digital rather than print. The interesting point is not that students, along with adults, are shifting to digital media, but rather that this is front page news for school district administrators.

BREAKING: Powell's Lays Off 31 Workers. | Blogtown, PDX

BREAKING: Powell's Lays Off 31 Workers. | Blogtown, PDX

I suppose this was to be expected. If a giant like Powell's has to lay off employees, how are the little indies doing?

www.librarycopyrightalliance.org/bm~doc/lcacostco013111.pdf

www.librarycopyrightalliance.org/bm~doc/lcacostco013111.pdf

The US Supreme Court has not been able to decide on whether the right of first sale exception applies to materials manufactured outside the US. The discussion is about printed books. Copyright law needs to be rewritten to take into account creation of literary works outside the US by means of data conversion technologies.